UNITAID works through market interventions to improve access to medicines, diagnostics, and preventive items used in HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. The benefit of adopting market-based approaches is that all countries, not only those receiving direct UNITAID support, benefit from UNITAID’s market impact. For example, if UNITAID decreases prices, improves quality, and improves acceptability of products, all countries and buyers have access to these improved, more affordable products, meaning more people can be treated or diagnosed with better products for less money.

How UNITAID works in markets

UNITAID performs one, two, or three market functions, depending on the particular circumstances and characteristics of a given market. These roles include:

• Market catalyst: identifying and facilitating adoption and uptake of new and superior health commodities;
• Market creator: providing incentives for manufacturers to produce otherwise unattractive products with low market demand but substantial public health benefits; and
• Market 'fixer': addressing market inefficiencies (e.g., grossly inaccurate demand forecast, excessive transaction costs, etc.) contributing to low access of quality assured medicines, diagnostics, and preventative items.

UNITAID's Market Impact Framework

(click on the red boxes to enlarge)

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